Heroes of the Corn
by The Ikran Rider
Summary: Reed's father went to see a family member in another state which, shockingly, turned into a ghost town and murderous children are haunting it. Can he be saved and will the terror ever seize?


It's been a whole year since the Fantastic Four received a call of duty, and things seem to have gotten well. Reed and Sue had tied the knot, Ben and Alicia have been spending more time together, Terri has made progress in her office career like never before, and Johnny had just got himself enrolled in the NYC Charity Cup. As time went on, he decided to become a race car driver because of the idleness. Unfortunately, he's now being hospitalized from an accident. At a sharp curve during the final lap, his car spun out of control and stopped at the middle of the track.

"Flame-"

But before he could say "On!", an incoming car hit him from the right side. He was then trapped inside the rubble, another car crashed into him and broke his leg. From the front bleachers, Sue screamed for his name. and Ben and the others ran to him and removed him from the wreckage. Johnny was unconscious and Sue held his right hand tightly, hoping to come around. Then when cars were coming slowly to cross the finish line behind her, Sue created a force field to put them to a halt.

"It appears that the Invisible Woman has made a force field and the cars are bumping into it! Astonishing!" the announcer said.

Later they heard sirens and then an ambulance took him to a hospital nearby.

It was now Sunday morning, Reed got an urgent call from his father, Nathaniel, from Gatlin, Nebraska where his brother, Ted lived. He died because a bunch of kids, ages 5-18, have been wreaking havoc throughout, causing manslaughter to adults and anyone who stood in their way. Witnesses stated a young preacher and a red-head were leading a small group at a diner by setting the thermostat to 90 degrees, then some elders collapsed after drinking their poisoned coffee, and the last ones standing were stabbed by butcher knives. Since then, the city began to panic by the infestation as the children gained rapidly. Nathaniel called his son to put an end to it.

The team decided to take off, using the FantastiCar, and head to Gatlin leaving Johnny, Alicia, and Frankie behind because of his impairment. When they landed, they were shocked that it became a ghost town from the invasion. They discovered that the kids were only after adults, unless other children disobeyed them. They also found out that somewhere in the cornfields is where they conspire for their assaults. Since they were kids, Sue suggested that the team should capture each child instead of slaying them. The plan worked as they caught 10 children in 6 hours; however, the battle was just beginning. Word came around that the outlanders were causing their demise, so they attacked in groups instead of one-on-one and sneak into each house during the night. But not all the children were bad; the team found some battered, starving, and scared children imprisoned in basements and cellars. Job, the witness, said that the red-head, named Molachai, was expelled from high school and became an assassin. He was at the diner when he killed the people inside along with the preacher named Isaac. His sister, Sarah, had a fever of 102 and Nathaniel noticed everything and as a physician cured her. Then a young farmer, whose father was a preacher, explained that a beast lurked beneath the cornfields and ate any unsuspecting prey. And the reasons for the sacrifices was that Isaac said that the corn was rotting. They only made them grow fertile again. He said it was an offering for "he who walks behind the rows." That's when everything began to fit. Job said that a blue man worked at the cornfields and fire and heat were the only weapons to stop it. Reed certainly wished that Johnny was around to do just that.

The team ventured through the fields and found an old shack, they've decided to use it as a stakeout. Reed, Ben, and Terri made it along with the battered children. Sue and Nathaniel were ambushed by Molachai and his gang. When they regained consciousness, they were tied in corn crosses, including Isaac. He explained that Molachai was responsible for all of the work. When Reed twisted on the old cot, he realized that they were missing, so he ran to the area where he heard chanting. The farmer was sacrificed first as the cross was lit and shot off like a rocket. Molachai got Reed into a dilemma of which one should be next. Fortunately, the boy came back and warned him that he was next. While the beast was doing its business, Reed untied Sue and Nathaniel, and he and Ben destroyed the cornfields using an oil pump and a match found in Nathaniel's shoe. The team and the children escaped, leaving the others in the dust. Nathaniel thanked them for their work and as for the children, he'll find an orphanage and restore their town before they left, Nathaniel and Reed went to have a private chat.

He sighed and asked, "Do you remember the night when your mother and I had that huge fight when you were a kid?" He nodded and Nathaniel talked about that night when Reed was seven years old.

It was during a nippy October night. The sky was clouding over the gold full moon and Reed was sound asleep in his bedroom. It was filled with miniature science kits, containers filled with chemicals, and pictures of famous chemists, physicians, and even astronauts on the walls, including Neil Armstrong and Isaac Newton. He was awakened by loud screaming coming from his parents downstairs in the kitchen. Curious, he slowly opened the door and overheard the argument from the banister. The two were fighting about Reed's life, now that he was growing older they had a right to choose his destiny. Should he be a scientist and physician like his father, or take the footsteps of an artist like his mother? It was quite obvious that he wanted to be like Nathaniel, but he didn't want to make his mother feel bad, so he tried a few art classes. Suddenly Nathaniel roared at Evelyn and Reed heard glass breaking. He hurriedly ran down the steps and checked on his mom. She was lying on the floor and his father hollered that he's going to follow his path and it was final. He was sick of interfering with his studies with her ridiculous art, he would be better off without her. Immediately the young boy ran upstairs and grabbed a beacon filled with acid. As Nathaniel continued his rampage, Reed stepped between them and tossed the acid into his face. He screamed from the pain and Reed came storming out the front door in his pajamas. Evelyn tried to stop him but he was too quick.

Reed also remembered when he was first struck by lightning as he was working in a farm after that. He was taken to a hospital and the farmer looked after him. He was there for nearly three months. Lastly his face became more somber as he recalled the death of his beloved mother. His father found him and apologized. He reluctantly accepted and he was taken home only to realize that Evelyn can no longer be found. At the funeral he couldn't stop crying and he grieved until he was fifteen, when he went to college and met Susan and Ben.

"After that, I met Cassandra. But I only wanted to keep it secret so you didn't feel more upset about your mother's passing. Eventually you stopped mourning for her, but you never even met her. This is a picture I've been longing to show you." From his vest pocket, Nathaniel took out a small portrait of a blonde, long-haired girl who looked to be in her thirties, with blue eyeshadow, mascara, and rose red lip gloss.

He said that he married her ten years ago and didn't want to tell him about it. He desperately fell in love with her to hide the pain of Evelyn's passing and he divorced her before she died after that fight he had with his son. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you all of this, and I can't expect your forgiveness. But since I heard you made the Fantastic Four, I had restored my faith in you." Then he whimpered as he said, "But it scared me.. I didn't know how to let you go."

Tears started falling and Reed hugged him. To Nathaniel, he reunited with his son and he accepted his forgiveness. He wiped his eyes and hiccupped before he said for him to depart. "You should go now. I'll take care of things from here, you do what you have to do. I hope for the best for you and Susan. Reed-I...I'm proud of you, my son." For the first time with his father, Reed smiled at him and said goodbye.

As the team were preparing to leave, an injured girl in a blue shirt and gray pants was approaching with a knife. Terri knocked the girl unconscious with her telekinesis and threw her out of the cockpit. They said farewell to Nathaniel and the children and they left back to New York.


End file.
